Zaire Vows To Intensify Bombings

February 18, 1997

Zaire's government is warning civilians to flee rebel-held zones, pledging to step up aerial bombardments in the east. In the government's sharpest escalation in its five-month fight against a rebellion, warplanes on Monday attacked the rebel-held towns of Bukavu, Walikale and Shabunda in eastern Zaire. Aid workers said seven people were killed and at least 20 wounded in Bukavu. Rebels fighting to oust President Mobutu Sese Seko have captured a 900-mile swath in eastern Zaire bordering Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, and are reportedly threatening Kisangani, Zaire's third-largest city. UN special envoy Mohamed Sahnoun, who met Mobutu over the weekend, said Tuesday that there was now "political will at the highest level" to find a solution.